CodeReview.nvim

Inline code review on any git diff, right inside Neovim and export to markdown file.

Features

Review workflow — Two-panel layout (explorer + diff) with unified or side-by-side split view, markdown export with prompt flow or direct :W save, git difftool --dir-diff integration.

Inline notes — Smart add/edit on any diff line, visual-selection notes with captured code context, virtual text with visibility toggle, Telescope picker for all notes.

Navigation — File explorer with badges and note counts, ]n/[n and ]f/[f bracket motions, ? help window with all keymaps. Two explorer layouts: flat (filename first, directory dimmed) and tree (files grouped by directory), toggled with t.

Enhanced diff display — Inline word-level highlighting shows exactly what changed within each line, gutter line numbers for old/new files, sign column with +/- markers, dimmed metadata lines. All features configurable.

Safety — Unsaved-note protection on close, large diff pagination with configurable thresholds.

Export Formats

Running :w or :W generates a review file. Two formats are available via review.export_format:

"default" — markdown with headings per file, code blocks with syntax highlighting, and enriched header:

# Code Review 2026-03-14

> `main..feature` — 2 files, 3 notes

## src/foo.js

```js{10}
const result = a + b;
```

revisit this calculation

---

```js{67,72}
function handleUser(user) {
  if (user.name) {
    return user.name;
  }
}
```

null check `user` before `.name`

## handlers/user.js

```js{120}
logger.info(event);
```

consider structured logging

"table" — pipe-separated with header, one line per note, optimized for LLM token efficiency:

file|line|side|text
src/foo.js|10|new|revisit this calculation
src/foo.js|67-72|new|null check user before .name
handlers/user.js|120|new|consider structured logging

Quick Start

1. Install the plugin (see Installation)
2. Open a review: :CodeReview
3. Navigate files with j/k, press n on any diff line to add a note, export with :w

Installation

{
  "MaraniMatias/codereview.nvim",
  event = "VeryLazy",
  dependencies = {
    "nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim", -- optional: enables notes picker (<Space>n)
    "nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons",   -- optional: file icons in the explorer
  },
  config = function()
    require("codereview").setup({})
  end,
}

Usage

Inside Neovim

:CodeReview accepts any arguments you would pass to git diff.

:CodeReview                             " unstaged changes
:CodeReview main..feature               " branch comparison
:CodeReview HEAD~3                      " last 3 commits
:CodeReview --staged                    " staged changes only
:CodeReview -- path/to/file             " single file
:CodeReview --staged -- path/to/file    " staged + single file

Saving and Closing

Command	Effect
:w	Opens save prompt, writes the markdown review
:W	Saves directly to the auto-generated filename
:q	Warns if you have unsaved notes
:q!	Forces the review tab to close

Notes live in memory for the current session only; exporting saves the Markdown review, not the in-editor note state.

As git difftool

Add this to ~/.gitconfig:

[difftool "codereview"]
    cmd = nvim -c "lua require('codereview').difftool('$LOCAL', '$REMOTE')"
    trustExitCode = true
[difftool]
    prompt = false

Then run:

git difftool --dir-diff -t codereview
git difftool --dir-diff --cached -t codereview
git difftool --dir-diff -t codereview main..feature-branch

--dir-diff gives the plugin all changed files at once, enabling the multi-file explorer.

Alternative: wrapper script

You can also point difftool at the wrapper shipped in bin/codereview:

[difftool "codereview"]
    cmd = /path/to/codereview/bin/codereview "$LOCAL" "$REMOTE"
    trustExitCode = true

The wrapper automatically captures $MERGED from git's environment to build a stable, repo-relative file identity — preventing note collisions when multiple files share the same basename (e.g. src/utils/helpers.js vs src/components/helpers.js).

Keybindings

All keybindings are remappable via keymaps in your setup config.

Explorer Panel

Key	Action
j / k	Navigate files and note entries
Enter / l	Focus the diff panel for the selected item
za	Expand or collapse notes for the selected file
]f / [f	Next or previous file
t	Toggle flat / tree layout
R	Refresh file list
<Tab>	Focus diff panel
?	Show help window
q	Close review

Diff Panel

Key	Action
n	Smart add or edit note on current line
V then n	Add note from visual selection
]n / [n	Next or previous note in current file
]f / [f	Next or previous file
L	Load more lines for a truncated diff
za	Toggle fold for the current hunk
gf	Open file in a new tab at cursor line
gF	Open full file in a new tab
<leader>uh	Toggle virtual text notes
<Space>n	Open Telescope notes picker
<Tab>	Focus explorer panel
q	Close review

Note Editor

Key	Action
<C-s>	Save note (normal & insert)
q	Discard note without asking
<Esc>	Ask to save or discard
<C-d>	Delete note (with confirmation)

Configuration

Most users won't need any config — defaults are tuned for a typical review workflow.

require("codereview").setup({
  explorer_width = 30,
  keymaps = {
    save = "<C-s>",  -- disabled by default; set to enable a save shortcut
  },
})

Full configuration reference

require("codereview").setup({
  diff_view = "unified",            -- "unified" | "split" (side-by-side)
  explorer_width = 30,              -- width of the file explorer panel
  border = "rounded",               -- "rounded" | "single" | "double" | "solid" | "none"
  explorer_title = " Files ",
  diff_title = " Diff ",
  note_truncate_len = 30,           -- max chars per line in explorer note sub-rows
  note_multiline = false,           -- false = collapse note to one line | true = show each line
  note_glyph = "⊳",                -- glyph prefix for note rows; use ">" for ASCII fallback
  virtual_text_truncate_len = 60,   -- truncation of virtual text annotations
  virtual_text_max_lines = 3,       -- extra lines shown below the code line (0 = eol only)
  max_diff_lines = 1200,            -- initial visible diff lines before truncation
  diff_page_size = 400,             -- extra lines revealed per load-more action
  explorer_layout = "flat",         -- "flat" (filename first + dimmed dir) | "tree" (grouped by dir)
  explorer_path_hl = "Comment",     -- highlight group for the dimmed directory portion (flat layout)
  explorer_show_help = true,        -- show "(? help)" hint in explorer header
  explorer_path_separator = "  ",   -- separator between filename and dir in flat layout
  explorer_status_icons = nil,      -- override status icons, e.g. { M = "M", A = "A", D = "D" }
  note_count_hl = "WarningMsg",     -- highlight group for note count "(3)" in explorer
  note_float_width = 80,            -- max width for the note editor float window
  show_untracked = false,             -- show untracked files in review mode
  treesitter_max_lines = 5000,      -- disable treesitter highlighting above this line count

  -- Diff display enhancements
  show_line_numbers = true,         -- show old/new line numbers in the diff gutter
  line_number_hl = "LineNr",        -- highlight group for gutter line numbers
  inline_diff = true,               -- highlight changed characters within modified lines (DiffText)
  inline_diff_max_len = 500,        -- skip inline diff for lines longer than this
  show_diff_signs = false,           -- show +/- signs in the sign column
  dim_metadata = true,              -- dim diff metadata lines (index, similarity, etc.)

  keymaps = {
    note = "n",                     -- smart add/edit note on current line
    toggle_virtual_text = "<leader>uh",
    next_note = "]n",
    prev_note = "[n",
    next_file = "]f",
    prev_file = "[f",
    cycle_focus = "<Tab>",
    save = false,                   -- set to e.g. "<C-s>" to enable a save shortcut
    notes_picker = "<Space>n",
    quit = "q",
    toggle_notes = "za",
    toggle_layout = "t",            -- toggle between flat / tree explorer layout
    refresh = "R",
    load_more_diff = "L",
    go_to_file = "gf",              -- open file in new tab at cursor line
    view_file = "gF",               -- open full file in new tab
    toggle_hunk_fold = "za",        -- fold/unfold the current hunk
  },

  review = {
    default_filename = "review-%Y-%m-%d.md",
    path = nil,                     -- nil = git root
    context_lines = 0,              -- extra lines above/below when auto-reading code from disk
    export_format = "default",      -- "default" | "table"
  },
})

Split (side-by-side) view

Set diff_view = "split" to display diffs side by side — old file on the left, new file on the right. Both panels scroll together via Neovim's scrollbind. All keybindings, notes, and pagination work the same in both views.

require("codereview").setup({
  diff_view = "split",
})

Large diffs keep the current behavior when they fit within max_diff_lines. When a diff exceeds that limit, CodeReview renders the first slice, shows a truncation sentinel at the bottom, and each load_more_diff action reveals another diff_page_size lines.

Diff display enhancements

CodeReview ships with several visual enhancements enabled by default. Set any of these to false to disable:

require("codereview").setup({
  show_line_numbers = true,   -- old/new line numbers in the gutter
  inline_diff = true,         -- word-level highlighting within changed lines
  show_diff_signs = false,     -- +/- markers in the sign column
  dim_metadata = true,        -- dim "index", "similarity" header lines
})

Inline diff compares adjacent deleted/added line pairs character by character and highlights only the changed portion using the DiffText highlight group. Lines longer than inline_diff_max_len (default 500) fall back to full-line highlighting.

Line numbers are rendered as inline virtual text showing the old-file and new-file line numbers side by side. In split mode, each panel shows its respective side's numbers.

Diff signs place + and - markers in the Neovim sign column alongside added and deleted lines.

Known Limitations

• Notes are session-only; closing CodeReview discards in-memory notes unless you export the review
• Note anchors are based on new-file line numbers

Acknowledgements

This plugin was inspired by the talk "Programar en 2026: the human-in-the-loop" at JSConf ES by Javi Velasco @javivelasco.